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Bar Exam Information

Getting Started

In the U.S., a law school graduate cannot practice law or describe himself or herself as a lawyer or attorney unless he or she is licensed. A license requires admission to the bar of at least one of the 56 jurisdictions in the U.S. (the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five territories). Each jurisdiction establishes its own criteria for admission to its bar. In most jurisdictions, the initial admission process broadly involves taking a professional responsibility examination (MPRE), taking a 2-3 day bar examination in February or July, and completing a character and fitness investigation. However, because each jurisdiction has its own application procedures, deadlines, fees, prerequisites, examinations, scoring and reciprocity policies, and post-admission requirements, it is incumbent on each student to familiarize himself or herself with the admission process in the jurisdiction(s) where he or she plans to practice.

Every U.S. jurisdiction has an official bar examination website with detailed requirements and application materials. In addition, the National Conference of Bar Examiners provides an annual summary (updated each spring) of the bar admission requirements in every U.S. jurisdiction: Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements.

If you are entering your final year of law school and still uncertain about where and when to sit for the bar, the interplay of reciprocity policies or whether you should sit for an exam in more than one jurisdiction, please seek guidance from your faculty advisor, an ASP instructor or the Dean of Students as soon as possible.

Character & Fitness

In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every U.S. jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

Bar Exams

Each jurisdiction determines its own rules for bar admission, including the composition of its bar exam. All jurisdictions except Louisiana and Puerto Rico use some combination of multiple choice and essay questions, typically some combination of Multistate exams developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) and jurisdiction-specific questions developed by their own courts or bar examiners. Each jurisdiction decides which Multistate exams it will use, the weight assigned to each section, and acceptable passing scores; this information is published annually on bar examiner websites and in the NCBE's Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements. Understanding the content and structure of your jurisdiction's bar exam will help you to tailor your studying and develop strategies for passing the exam.

Note: A small number of jurisdictions have a registration requirement or option for current law students. Depending on a state's rules, a student may be able to save time or money by registering for the bar exam during the first or second year of law school.

Miscellaneous Links

Being admitted to a state's bar does not mean that a lawyer is automatically admitted to the federal courts physically located in that state. Each federal court sets its own admission rules. For example:

Admission to a bar, i.e. permission to practice in a particular jurisdiction, is distinct from membership in a bar association. Some jurisdictions, such as DC, have a mandatory (also called a unified or integrated) bar association such that a lawyer must become a member of the jurisdiction's bar association in order to practice in that jurisdiction. Other jurisdictions, such as Maryland, have a state-wide voluntary bar association that any lawyer admitted to the bar in that jurisdiction may choose to join. In addition, groups of legal practitioners with shared professional or personal interests may form local, state or national voluntary bar associations. While membership in voluntary bar associations is not required in order to practice law, it can play an important role in a lawyer's professional development. Many voluntary bar associations offer law student memberships.